In the prior art, previous off-the floor-water closet carriers have used the waste conduit junction to connect and to support the front and back of water closet carriers. While such waste conduit junction may be used to add strength to the carrier in this invention, the strength and rigidity of the carrier in this invention comes primarily from structural means, such as, for example, two side plates, which are independent of the waste conduit junction.
In the prior art, connections to waste disposal conduits are made under the flooring of a house. Such construction method is time-consuming and does not always produce the workmanlike results that can be produced in a shop. Nor does the prior art method lend itself to a production line as does the building module concept of the invention.
The smaller module, comprised of the two parallel frames, provides readily-accessible waste disposal conduit or conduits during manufacture of the smaller module and readily-accessible connections to utilities outside the smaller module after the manufacture of the smaller module is complete.
Likewise, the larger module, incorporating the smaller module as a partition, or "chase" wall, between two rooms, provides readily-accessible waste disposal conduit or conduits during manufacture of the larger module and readily accessible connections to utilities outside the larger module after the manufacture of the larger module is completed. Thus, after placement of the larger module, and during completion of the installation or thereafter, the utility conduits and lines of the modules are readily accessible for completion of the connections thereto.
The smaller and larger building modules are preferably built of steel, using steel studs connected to a bottom track and a top track, both made of steel. Such steel components are readily available and such construction is common. The steel studs and tracks are preferably 18 gauge and 35/8 inches wide. Walls constructed of such steel studs and tracks are suitable as bearing walls. Steel studs and tracks of 25 gauge, which is lighter, may be used if bearing loads on the walls are not too great. The 13 gauge studs provide a strong wall. Wood may also be used to build the building module or parts thereof, but wood construction is much heavier than the steel construction. Plastic, other metals or other suitable materials may be used in building the modules, or parts thereof, provided strength and durability requirements are met.
The two walls which are constructed on the parallel frames form two adjacent, back-to-back walls of two rooms. In the single room module, one of the walls becomes a wall inside the room and the other wall may be an outside wall or the wall of another room.
Preferably, the two parallel frames of the smaller building module are about 141/8 inches apart and are each manufactured using a bottom steel track and a top steel track into which are inserted the ends of steel studs on sixteen inch centers, extending from the bottom track to the top track. The studs may be adjusted in their spacing where desired, in order to fit the plumbing fixtures installed in the room. Such steel studs are fastened to the top and bottom tracks by screw means, rivets, welding or other suitably strong method. Such studs provide the means upon which to attach drywall, wallboard, plywood, tile, paneling, plasterboard or any other suitable wall-finishing means.
Placement of the two parallel frames, approximately between 12 to 18 inches apart, preferably spaced 141/8 inches apart, conserves room space and still provides enough space between the parallel frames to locate the waste conduits, various utility service lines, hot and cold water, electrical, gas, and dryer vent, or other utilities as needed. The outer ends of the parallel frames may require some fitting to locate them between the other studs around the outside of a two-room, larger module.
Thus, the smaller module is fit between the vertical studs of most buildings which, according to standard practice, has studs built on 16-inch centers. The 16-inch on center studs may have to be adjusted in their being spaced apart so as to allow the module to fit between adjacent studs. Each parallel frame itself is built of studs approximately on 16-inch centers. The studs on the frames themselves may be adjusted, as to their being spaced apart, to accommodate plumbing fixtures and connections thereto.
A water closet carrier provides support for one or two off-the-floor water closets. The water closet carrier is boxlike and is disposed between the two parallel frames. The preferred construction of the water closet carrier is 4 plates connected together. The 4 plates are a first faceplate and a second faceplate opposite the first faceplate and two side plates. The first and second faceplates may also be described as front and back plates, front and back structural means or first and second structural means. Providing structural mounting strength for the water closets is one of the basic purposes of the carrier. The other purpose of the water closet carrier is to provide for connecting to the waste discharge conduits of the off-the-floor water closets.
The water closet carrier has means for anchoring it to flooring structure upon which the module is to be placed. Such means for anchoring preferably comprise angle clips, or angle brackets, placed on first and second faceplates of the water closet carrier. However, the anchoring may be plates, rods or any other suitable anchoring means, disposed as desired, and which will provide suitable structural strength to hold the water closet carrier in place when loaded.
The angle brackets are anchored to the flooring structure by means of anchor bolts, lag screws, concrete screws, bolts, or other means for securely anchoring the angle brackets and the carrier to the flooring structure.
An off-the-floor water closet may be hung on each side of the water closet carrier. Great structural strength is provided by the carrier used in the invention. The water closets thus extend outwardly from the adjacent walls of the two rooms and are carried without any reliance on the walls for strength, because the water closet carrier is anchored to, and carried by, the floor.
The American National Standard requirements, (Standards), ASME A112.1M-1988, entitled Supports for Off-the-Floor Plumbing Fixtures for Public Use, published by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York City, N.Y., requires supports for off-the-floor water closets to be a combination support (carrier) and waste fitting assemblies. There must be means to anchor the assembly to the structural floor slab and the assembly must provide any necessary gasketing for the waste line. The assembly must be able to support the fixture independently of the wall or partition, must be fully concealable in the building construction and must meet certain strength and deflection requirements. This invention includes an assembly of support and waste fittings which meets all such requirements. Lesser requirements may be acceptable in other countries, in which event, less rugged and less stringent construction rules may be used.
In review, two adjacent, parallel frames are constructed. They are rigidly spaced with respect to each other. The various utility conduits and lines extend between them. A water closet carrier is provided which is very strong and rigid, and, preferably has first and second faceplates and two side plates, all of which are steel and are welded together. The water closet carrier is placed within, or between, the parallel frames. The first faceplate is flush, or approximately flush, with a wall which is to be built on one of the parallel frames and the second faceplate is flush, or approximately flush, with a wall which is to be built on the other parallel frame. The two parallel frames form a partition between two rooms and a wall is readily built on each of the parallel frames. Each wall is a wall of its respective service room. Drywall, plywood, lathe and plaster, tile, paneling or other wall material, may be placed on each of the two parallel frames, thus constructing each wall. The water closets, if two are to be provided, are off-the-floor water closets, are placed back-to-back on each side of the walls, by connecting one water closet to the first faceplate and one water closet to the second faceplate. Each water closet is connected mechanically to its respective plate and is also connected to a waste discharge conduit extending through such plate.